1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic musical instrument provided with pads, in particular, a percussion type electronic instrument.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The electronic percussion instrument is provided with a plurality of pads, a detecting means for detecting when a pad is struck (pad ON), and a generating means for generating musical tone control signals including the tone color and pitch corresponding to each pad. In prior art electronic percussion instruments configured in this way, playing is executed once a tone color, etc. has been assigned to each pad.
In electronic musical instruments not provided with pads, for example, an electronic musical keyboard instrument, a keyboard for accompaniment playing, etc. has been previously assigned and chord sounds can be generated using this keyboard. There are also electronic musical instruments capable, by various methods, of specifying the type of chords generated when keys are depressed. For example, the electronic musical instrument disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-8799 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. sho 56-43699) generates specified chord data in which the chord type is determined based on the relationship between the first and second key depressions in a keyboard with accompaniment playing or in an accompaniment playing key range.
The above means for generating chord data, however, is presently installed only in electronic musical keyboard instruments and electronic wind instruments. Therefore, electronic percussion instruments provided with pads could only generate playing data for previously set tone colors and pitches.